Gravestones.....

[grannysrock]

Well here's a nice cheerful topic :

Do churches keep records of who paid for gravestones / when they were erected in their churchyards ? Or would that come under some other body ? The churchyards I'm interested in are in Berwickshire.

the reason I would like to know is because I am not certain how reliable the information on a gravestone is - ( what if it turned out it had been erected 80 years after the last person mentioned on it had died ? ).

Season's greetings ...

Sally

[Ina]

Don't know if anyone keeps records as to who pays for the headstones.

I believe you can place a headstone long after a death though. The grandchildren of my grandfathers sister bought a headstone for her a few years ago, yet she died in 1940.

When I was home a few months ago I took lots of photos of my ancestors headstones. So far I have found three of them have the wrong death dates on them (I have copies of the death records). I wonder if anyone ever checks the information on the stones before they are placed at the cemetery.

Ina

[DavidWW]

...snipped ......... I believe you can place a headstone long after a death though. The grandchildren of my grandfathers sister bought a headstone for her a few years ago, yet she died in 1940. .....snipped ......Ina

And that's where there can occasionally be a major problem in terms of the accuracy of the information, 10, 25, 50, or 100 years after the events concerned .............

David

[grannysrock]

Hi Ina, David
Thanks for your replies . Its difficult to know what's really written in stone ...
People forget details over the course of time,so if the stones were erected many years after the loss of a loved one, when the money was to hand, it's hardly surprising that some things aren't totally accurate. Also what if the inscriber made an error ? I'd guess you wouldn't be able to demand a new stone ? Eg the place of death for my gggg grandfather mentioned on his son's grave seems incorrect - he lived at Thirlington in Eccles, the stone says he died at Thirlestane. Not impossible but unlikely. The stone over his own grave says died at Thirlington . Well one must be wrong. What worries me is the rest of the latter inscription ....

Sally

[LesleyB]

Hi Sally
I've certainly come across a few graves where the info does not tally with that held by NRH.
e.g. On grave stone at Nigg Old Churchyard

• In loving memory of Rebecca Smith, wife of John Crout, died 20th December 1873 aged 54 and their son Lauchlin 18 July 1887 aged 25.

Actual dates according to death entires on SP:
Rebecca Smith: d. 10 January 1883 (aged 56)
Lauchlin Crout: d. 29 July 1894 (aged 24)

Certianly looks like this one must have been erected quite some time after the events...
Best wishes
Lesley

[Jack]

I've quite a few gravestones with wrong names, dates, and ages with my own lot.
Have come to the conclusion they were all "Friday afternoon jobs" done after a visit to the pub.
Jack